Closure seal and cap guard



Dec. 31, 1935. J. F. TOOMEY ET AL CLOSURE SEAL AND CAP GUARD Filed June l1, 1934 INVENTORS.A JEREM/AH F TOOMEY B; J0$PH E ME/VALLY Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOSURE SEAL AND CAP GUARD Application June 11, 1934, Serial No. 730,006

9 Claims.

This invention relates more especially to closure seals and cap guards suitable for use on containers such as gasoline tanks used on motor cars for the storage of fuel.

The primary purpose of our invention is to provide a combined closure seal and cap guard of improved construction whereby a detachable cap which is released from the open outer end of a tubular neck by a rotational movement and temporarily removed therefrom for refilling the tank, may be constrained inits movement in such a way that it becomes located in a position in which it is ready to be again interlocked with said tubular neck by a rotational movement in a reverse direction. For this purpose, the combined closure seal and cap guard is constructed to provide a relatively smaller ring which operates as a gasket between the inner wall of the cap and an annular seat on the open outer end of the tubular neck, a relatively larger ring having an inner peripheral diameter of suitable length to engage the outer cylindrical wall of a tubular neck which is to be sealed by the gasket ring, and an integrally formed connecting band which extends between the outer peripheries of said rings and is made of a predetermined length such that a relatively longer portion thereof adjacent to the gasket ring which is to be exed in lesser degree to conform to the inner Wall of a cap and a relatively shorter portion adjacent to the guard or anchor ring which is to be more sharply iiexed within the inner wall of the cap in its attached position.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a gasoline tank o f a motor car showing an adaptation of my invention to a removable cap therefor, parts being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l with the cap shown in open position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the top wall I of a gasoline tank is provided with an opening 2. Projecting upwardly from the .top wall I of the tank is a tubular neck 3 provided with a base fiange 4 which is usually soldered to the top wall I of the tank. As shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the tubular neck 3 is provided above with a turned-over flange which Vforms an inset seat 5 for a gasket or annular band 6 of a closure seal and cap guard, said annular band being connected by a flexible strip I to an annular band 8 which constitutes the anchor for said closure seal and cap guard. The annular band 8 is seated upon the base flange Il which in effect constitutes an annular shoulder extending around the tubular neck 3. Said annular band 8 is suitably constructed 'to frictionally grip the cuter cylindrical Wall of the neck 3. The annular sealing band or gasket 6 is seated upon an annular shoulder 9 within a convex top wall I of the cap, said cap being provided with a peripheral edge II which, as shown in the right-hand portion of Figures 1 and 2, is adapted to have rolling engagement with the top wall I of the tank during its movements between its extreme positions shown in Figures 1 and 2 respectively. Depending from the inner annular edge of the shoulder 9 is a circular boss I2 constructed of imperforate sheet metal. Riveted to the bottom surface of the boss I2 is a locking bar I3 which is provided with resilient outer ends I3a which are suitably beveled to permit them to slidably engage oppositely arranged cam tracks I4 during a rotational movement of the cap I0 on its axis for locking the cap in a well-known manner to the tubular neck 3. For this purpose, 15 the annular sealing band 6, connecting strip 'I, and anchoring band 8 are integrally formed from a sheet of material which is preferably of such a nature that the sealing disk or gasket 6 will be resilient under compression, the anchoring band 20 8 will be resilient under tension, and the connecting strip 1 will be resilient under flexure. As shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, the connecting strip I is suitably constructed to conform to the inner top wall of the cap I0 in closed position in such a way as to impart a tendency to throw the cap I 0 outwardly on its rolling edge I I to open position. As shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, the connecting strip 'I in extended position presses against the inner rounded edge of the periphery of said cap in such a way as to stiffen the strip 'I when it reaches a position in which the cap is supported in such a way as not to bar access to the orifice or opening through the tubular neck 3.

We claim:-

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a container having a tubular neck provided with an annular gasket seat and 40 with an annular shoulder presented outwardly from around the outer wall of said tubular neck below said annular gasket seat, of a cap movable into and out of position to close the outer end of said tubular neck, said cap being provided with an annular shoulder cooperatively arranged with respect to said gasket seat, an annular gasket normally interposed between said gasket seat and the shoulder on said cap, an annular band seated on the annular shoulder which extends around the outer wall of said tubular neck, and a resilient 50 connection extending between said gasket and the last-mentioned annular band.

2. A device of the character claimed in claim l. in which said cap is constructed to oscillatably engage a wall of said container in moving from its closed position with respect to said tubular neck under the constraint of said resilient connection between said gasket and annular band.

3. `In a closure seal and cap guard for containers, the combination with a container wall having a tubular neck provided with an annular gasket seat and with an annular shoulder extending around said tubular neck, of a cap provided with a top wall bearing on said container wall with a rolling Contact during its movements between open and closed position with respect to said tubular neck, a cap-retainer comprising an annular band seated on said annular shoulder, a gasket ring carried by said cap, said gasket ring being constructed and arranged to be interposed between said gasket seat and said cap in the cl-osed position of the latter, and a resilient connection extending between said gasket ring and said annular ban-d, said connection being constructed and arranged to limit the rolling movement of said cap in its movement away from said tubular neck.

4. In a closure seal and cap guard for gasoline tanks, the combination with a gasoline tank having a tubular neck provided with an annular gasket seat in its outer end and with an annular shoulder extending around the outer wall of said tubular neck, of a cap constructed at one edge to bear with a rolling contact on the top wall of said gasoline tank during the movement of said cap between open and closed positions with respect to said tubular neck, and a flexible connection between said cap and tubular neck provided at one end with an integrally formed gasket ring attached to said cap and constructed to be interposed between said gasket seat and the cap in the closed position of the latter and at its other end with an integrally formed guard band seated on said annular shoulder and anchored to said tubular neck.

5. In a closure seal and cap guard for gasoline tanks, the combination with a gasoline tank having a tubular neck provided with an annular gasket seat of relatively smaller diameter at its outer extremity and with an annularshoulder of relatively larger diameter extending around the outer wall of said tubular neck, of a cap comprising a central boss constructed to depend into the outer end of said tubular neck, an annular shoulder extending around the outer wall of said central boss and a peripheral flange overhanging from and depending below the outer periphery of the last-mentioned annular shoulder, a gasket interposed between said gasket seat and the lastmentioned annular shoulder in the closed position of said cap, said gasket beingin yieldable gripping engagement with the outer wall of said boss, a guard ring mounted on the rst-mentioned annular shoulder and in yieldable gripping engagement with the outer Wall of said tubular neck, and a resilient connection extending between said gasket and guard ring.

6. In a closure seal and cap guard for gasoline tanks, the combination with a gasoline tank having a tubular neck provided with an annular gasket seat of relatively smaller diameter at its outer extremity and with an annular shoulder of relatively larger diameter extending around the outer wall of said tubular neck, and spaced downwardly from said gasket seat, of a cap for said tubular neck, said cap being provided with a central boss constructed to depend into the outer end of said tubular neck for the support of a bar `which is moved into an-d out of interlocking engagement vwith said tubular neck by a rotary movement of said cap; and With an annular Yshoulder extending around the outer wall of said central boss; and with a peripheral flange presentedoutwardly over the annular shoulder on said tubular neck, a gasket interposed between said gasket seat and the annular shoulder on said cap, said gasket being in yieldable vgripping engagement with the outer wall of said boss, a guard ring seated on the annular shoulder of said tubular neck and in yieldable gripping engagement 5 with the outer wall of said tubular neck, and a resilient connection extending between said gasket and guard ring, said resilient connection being joined at opposite ends to the outer peripheries of said gasket and guard ring respec- 10 tively and constructed to normally conform to the under surface of said peripheral flange when said cap is locked in closed position on said tubular neck.

7. 'I'he combination with a container having a 15 tubular neck open at its outer end and provided with a flat annular shoulder extending around the outer wall of said tubular neck at a distance from said outer end, of a removable cap for said container, said cap being provided with a tubular socket constructed to t said tubular neck, and a cap retainer constructed of a single piece of elastic gasket-forming material comprising an intermediate connecting strip and annular bands on opposite ends of said intermediate connecting strip, one of said annular bands being arranged in close frictional engagement with the exterior wall of said tubular socket of the cap and the other of said annular bands being arranged in close frictional engagement with the outer wall of said tubular neck and normally clamped to said flat annular shoulder by the open end of said tubular neck.

8. The combination with a convex cap for sealing the tubular neck of a gasoline tank, said cap being provided with an annular seat constructed to fit the outer end of said tubular neck and with an inner wall extending outwardly and downwardly from around the outer periphery of said annular seat of a combined gasket ring and cap guard comprising a gasket ring constructed to form a seal between said annular seat and the outer end of said tubular neck, an anchor ring having an inner periphery of relatively larger diameter than the outer periphery of said annular seat for fitting the outer wall of said tubular neck, and an integral band connecting the outer peripheries of the gasket and anchor rings, sai-d connecting band being conformable to the inner wall of said cap and constructed of suitable length to be flexed sharply at and in approximately the plane of the bottom peripheral edge of said cap in sealing position with respect to said tubular neck.

9. The combination with a convex cap for sealing the tubular neck of a gasoline tank, said cap being provided with an attachment boss constructed to depend into the outer end of said tubular neck, and with an annular gasket seat extending around said attachment boss, of a combined gasket ring and cap guard comprising a gasket ring seated upon said annular gasket seat, an anchor ring of relatively larger diameter for fitting the outer wall of said tubular neck and an integral band connecting the outer peripheries of the gasket and anchor rings, said connecting band being conformable to the inner wall of said convex cap and of suitable length to locate the anchor ring in concentric relation to said gasket ring in approximately the plane of the bottom peripheral edge of said cap.

JEREMIAH F. TOOMEY. JOSEPH F. MCNALLY. 

